“The crowd of Philippians joined in attacking Paul and Silas; and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely. . . . . . . . . . . .“Men, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him . . . . . . . . . . . . and he rejoiced with all his household that he had believed in God.’
Excerpt, First Reading, Tuesday7th May 2024 – ACTS 16:22-34.
So, sometimes, one person’s travesty becomes another one’s gain.
When a big animal dies and starts to rotten, birds come and perch on the carcass to feed on the worms and maggots there.
Only recently in Ondo State of Nigeria, when the former Governor got ill, despite all the hurdles, the then Deputy Governor ensured that he to duly became the Acting Governor and indeed, he did become it.
Subsequently, when the ailing state chief executive eventually passed on, he was immediately sworn in as the substantive Governor.
Similar scenerio has happened before in Yobe State Nigeria as well to a man whose name has followed him favourably as has never known before in history. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. Once as a Deputy Governor then, to Governor. Also, from been the Vice President to becoming the President.
Both in the cases of Lucky Aiyedatiwa and Goodluck Ebele Jonathan as well as the former Yobe State Governor, Ibrahim Gaidam, it was never planned. It was neither their doing or even their intentions, posterity just happened. They were just lucky to be the ones rightly available.
Such, to some extent was also the case of former Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi state, Nigeria, how he emerged as the Governor in His first term.
These are clear examples of one person’s travesty becoming another person’s gain.
So it is also in today’s teaching. The travesty of Paul and Silas who were beaten with rods and thrown into jail became the gain of the jailer and his family who through them gained salvation.
However, such gain as experienced by the jailer and his household was only possible because Paul and Silas did not allow their harrowing situation and condition to get them embittered and recalcitrant to their cause.
Therefore, they were still sober enough to think clearly with straight heads and preach the word of God to the jailer and his household and get them to be saved.
Dear friend, we too, must watch it. The travesty we are presently experiencing now may be a set up for someone else’s gain.
Therefore, we mustn’t allow the anguish, pain and bitterness to blind us from the overall good that God is trying to use our situation to engender.
Though, we may be going through our own pains, when we choose to also pray for another brother who is equally going through some challenge, then, we have taken the hero course and the cause of good.
This comes about only when we have a positive attitude toward all that happen to us.
As ransomed children of God, it mustn’t be lost on us that adversities will not assail us. Nevertheless, God has made us a promise that, when they do, He will see us through all of them.
Therefore, my dear friend, just so that it may not be two zero for us, we must look on the positive side of our current situation and adequately so utilise them.
Have a fantastic day folks.
#Blessed_Carlo_Acutis! #Pray_for_us!
– Akase F. Agabo